Carbon-cutting machine



C. HAMBUECHEN.

CARBON CUTTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 18, 191/.

1,384,756, Patented July 19,1921.

, 2 SHEET 8 EET I.

ATTORNEYS.

C. HAMBUECHEN.

CARBON CUTTING MACHINE- APPLICATION FILED'OCT. 18,1917.

1,884,756, Patented July 19, 1921.

QSHEETS-SHEET 2- INVENTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL HAMBUECHEN, OF BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T0 NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY, INC., OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A COR,-

IPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CARBON-CUTTING MACHINE.

Application filed October 18, 1917.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I, CARL HAMBUECHEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Belleville, in the county of St. Clair, State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Carbon-Cutting Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to. which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to machines for cutting rods into portions of predetermined length, and is particularly adapted for use in connection with the manufacture of carbon rods, such as are used in dry batteries and similar electrochemical apparatus. Dry batteries are made up in standard sizes and the rods used for any particular size, should all be of exactly the same length. These rods are usually cut from a long rod of carbon and it involves considerable labor and therefore increases the cost of manufacture of the batteries to measure and cut the rod into portions having exactly the required length.

The present invention has for an object, the production of a machine in which long carbon rods may be fed to a rotating member or conveyer by which they are carried into position adjacent a series of saws which are spaced a predetermined distance from each other and which cut the rods into a number of short lengths. The conveyor then carries the short rods away to be discharged into a suitable receptacle, while the ends of the original rod which may not be of the correct length fall into another receptacle.

The apparatus is simple in construction, has few moving parts and after being once started into operation, will work automatically as long as rods are supplied thereto. Provision is made for changing the distance between the saws and for making corresponding adjustments of other parts of the machine to the end that it may be adapted for use in cutting rods of any desired length.

The particular nature of the invention will i be best understood from a detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof as Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 19, 1921.

Serial No. 197,197.

illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an end elevation of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; and

Flg. 3 is a sectional elevation between any two of the saws, as for instance along the line 33 of Fig. 2. 1

Referring to the drawings, in which similar reference characters denote similar parts throughout theseveral views, 10 is a standard or pedestal upon the top 11 on which the'apparatus is mounted. The top plate of the standard should be cut away as at 12 to allow for the removal of the rods after they have been cut. 13 indicates a table which is adjustably mounted upon the top of the standard by means of slots 14 and screws 15. At one end of the machine the top 11 of the pedestal is provided with a bracket 16 within which is mounted an adjusting screw 17 having a milled head 18. The end of this screw is threaded through a lug 19 projecting upwardly from the face of the table.

Upon the table are brackets 20 of which three are shown in the present embodiment and these brackets are provided with bearings within which is mounted a shaft or arbor 21. A driving pulley 22 is mounted on the arbor between two of the supports 20. This pulley may be rotated by a belt driven from any convenient source of power. Upon the arbor 21 are thin disk saws 23 of which any desired number may be provided and which may be constructed of any material suitable for cutting the rods, as for instance, carborundum. These saws are maintained at the required distance from each other by means of spacing sleeves 24 and the arbor should be provided with a screw threaded portion as at 25 for receiving a nut 26 for clamping the saws and spacing. sleeves together, there being a shoulpermit spacing sleeves of diiferent lengths to be placed thereon.

Projecting upward from the top 11 of the pedestal are brackets 30 having bearings at their upper ends to receive a spindle 31 which near one end is provided with a gear wheel 32 engaged by a worm 33 on the lower end of a vertical shaft 34 which is supported in a bracket 35 extending outwardly from one of the bearing brackets 30. The shaft 34 may be rotated in any convenient manner, and as here shown, it is driven by beveled gears 36 and 37, the latter being mounted in a bracket 38 which is provided with a bearing 39 for the upper end of shaft 34. Mounted on the spindle 31 is a cylindrical drum 40 which is formed at one end with a collar 41 of smaller diameter through which passes a set screw 42 for clamping the drum upon the spindle, or the drum may be mounted upon the spindle in any other convenient manner. This drum is provided with a number of bearing surfaces 43 each raised slightly above the outer surface of the drum and extending the entire length thereof. Mounted upon these bearing surfaces are notched rings 44 which as shown most clearly in the plan view (Fig. 2) are disposed in pairs adjacent the edge of each of the saws, the two rings of each pair'being spaced apart snfliciently to permit the edge of a saw to travel between them without coming in contact with either of the rings. Each pair of rings is held,- in place upon the drum 40 by means of a key 45 and a screw 46 passing through an extension 47 at one side of the toothed portions. All of the rings 44 are set on the drum 4() in such a manner that their notches register with each other throughout the length of the drum and the key 45 prevents any rotary displacement of the rings with respect to the drum, while the screws 46 hold the rings in any desired position of longitudinal adjustment upon the drum. The teeth forming the notches are so shaped that when the drum is rotated in the direction of'the arrow, as shown in Fig. 1, a full length rod will be picked up at the lower edge of a supply hopper 48 and conveyed toward the saws.

To prevent the rods from dropping out of the notches between the teeth as they begin to descend toward the saws, a number of bands 49 are provided, and, as shown most clearly in Fig. 2, there should be one of these bands adjacent each pair of toothed rings 44. Each band is attached at its lower end to a rib 50 extending across the opening 12 in the top of the pedestal. The upper end of each band is bent vertically and provided with a hole through which passes a bolt 51, and a spring 52 surrounds the bolt between its free head and the surface of the band. The bolts are all attached to a cross bar 5? mounted upon brackets 54 attached to the supports 30. For convenience in altering the positions of the bands the cross bar may be provided with a longitudinal slot through which the bolts pass. For conveying away the rods after they have been cut to the required length, a chute 55 is mounted beneath the opening 12 and in line with the lower ends of the bands 49 which are spaced from the drum to serve as guides fordischarging the cut rods into the chute. Each rod will be cut up into short lengths determined by the distance between the saws but the end portions of the original rod may vary in length according to the amount of the rod which projects beyond the two extreme saws. To prevent these waste end portions from fal-. ing into the chute with the portions which have been cut to uniform length, there is provided near each end of the drum 40 a finger 56 which may be mounted at its lower end on a bracket 57 attached to the top of the pedestal. The upper end of each finger lies closely adjacent to the outer edge of the ring 44 at the corresponding end of the drum 40 so that as the end portions of the rod are cut off, they are caught and deflected by the fin gers 56 and drop into chute 58 by which they are-conveyed to any suitable receptacle.

In the operation of the machine the saws 23 are placed upon the arbor and maintained at the desired distance apart by means of the spacing sleeves 24, the series of saws and sleeves being clamped in place by the nut 26. The driving belt is placed over the pulley 22 and the arbor is then placed in the bearings on the brackets 20. Before the arbor is put in place, however, the pairs of rings 44 must be so spaced along the drum 40 as to occupy the relation to the edges of the saws as shown most clearly in Fig. 2. The straps or bands 49 should also be adjusted so that one of them lies closely adjacent each pair of notched rings. Thetable 13 upon which the saws are mounted is moved into the correct position and clamped by means of the bolts 15. The adjusting screw 17 will be found convenient for the purpose of making a fine adjustment of the table to insure that the arbor 21 and the spindle 31 shall be parallel to each other. When the machine is in condition for operation, a

number of rods are placed in the hopper 48 and the machine is started into action. The teeth on rings 44 will pick up these rods one at a time from the end of the hopper and convey them against the edges of the saws which during further movement of the wheels will cut through the rods and the end portions will then drop into the chute 58 and be conveyed away. The portions of the rods which have been cut to the desired length by the saws will, as shown most clearly in Fig. 3, be carried along the band or strap 49 until they finally are released from the toothed. rings and drop into the chute 55. In the operation of the machine, the speed of rotation of the drum which carries the toothed. conveyer rings should be so timed that the rods will be carried against the cutting edges of the saws at the proper rate to permit the cutting operation to be performed most effectively. During the cutting operation the rods will be pressed against the forwardly inclined faces of the teeth which will prevent any tendency of the rods flying out during the cutting operation;

While the embodiment of the invention which has been illustrated and described is especially intended for cutting carbon rods, it will be understood that the machine is adapted for cutting rods of an desired material, and also that various 0 anges in the details of the machine may be made without departing from the principle of the invention.

I claim v 1. In apparatus for cutting rods, the combination of a plurality of cutting disks, a I

- ing rings to convey rods into position to be cut by said disks.

2. In apparatus for cutting rods, the combination of a plurality-of cutting disks, a

spindle, a drum mounted upon the spindle,

a plurality of rings surrounding the drum and provlded with notches for receiving rods, a key placed in a longitudinal slot on the drum and cooperating with said rings for holding the-notches of the several rings in longitudinal alinement while permitting longitudinal adjustment of the rings upon the drum, means for fastening the rings in any desired position and adjustment upon the drum, and means for rotating the, spindle to cause the rod-holding rings to convey rods into position to be cut by the disks.

3. In apparatus for cutting rods, the combination of a plurality of cutting disks, a spindle, a drum mounted upon the spindle, a plurality of rod-holding members mounted upon the drum, each of said members comprising a pair of closely adjacent notched rings between which the corresponding cutting disk may enter and having an extension at one side of the rings through which fastening devices may be passed to co'iiperate with the drum in retaining the members in place thereon,'means cooperating with the members and the drum for preventing rotary displacement of said members with respect to the drum to maintain corresponding notches of said rings in alinement while permitting longitudinal adjustment of said members upon the drum, and means for rotating the spindle to cause the rod-holding members to convey rods into position to be cut by the disks.

4. In apparatus for cutting rods, the combination of a base, bearings mounted on the base, a spindle in the bearings, a drum mounted on the spindle, a plurality of notched rings mounted on and adjustable longitudinally of the drum, while maintaining the corresponding notches of said rings in alinement with one another, amember movably mounted on the base and provided with bearings, a shaft mounted in said bearings, a plurality of cutting, disks mounted upon the shaft and adjustable longitudinally thereon, a screw for moving said member on the base to secure a close adjustment thereof to permit the shaft to be set parallel to the spindle, means for clamping the member in any desired position of adjustment, means for rotating the spindle to cause the notched rings to convey rods into position to-be cut by the disks, and means for rotating the shaft to cause the disks to'cut the rods when the latter are in position to be-cut,

5. In apparatus for cutting rods, the combination of a plurality of cutting disks, a drum mounted beside the disks, a plurality of rings mounted on the drum and provided with alined notches for receiving rods, means for rotating the drum to convey the rods to the disks, and yielding members disposed adjacent said drum for retaining the rods in place within the notches of the rings while the rods are moving downwardly toward the cutting disks and after they have been cut by the disks, the lower ends of said members being spaced from the drum to serve as guides for discharging the rods after they have been cut by the disks.

6. In apparatus for cutting carbon rods into shorter lengths, the combination of a plurality of spaced relatively adjustable cutting elements of carborundum or similar material, means for supporting carbon rods and feeding the same to saidelements to be cut thereby, comprising a plurality of members having notches therein disposed in longitudinal alinement to receive carbon rods, means for mounting said members to retain the notches thereof in longitudinal alinement while permitting adjustment of said members toward and away from one another, and meansfor moving said members to feed the carbon rods carried thereby into position to 'be cut by said elements.

I 7. In apparatus for cutting rods into drum for holding the rods in said notches shorter lengths, the combination of a plural- While they are passing toward the disks and 10 ity of cutting disks, a rotary drum mounted comprising means at each end of the drum beside the disks, a plurality of rings mountfor deflecting the cut-off end portions and ed upon the drum and provided with alined separating them from the intermediate cut notches for receiving rods, means for rotatportions of the desired length. ing the drum to convey rods to the disks, and In testimony whereof I aflix my si nature. 15 yielding members disposed adjacent said CARL HAMBUEC EN. 

